Bookends

I'd say this week was big. But every week seems to be big nowadays. Big goings on. Big emotions. Big prospects. Big. But because I'm back to blogging, even if it's not necessarily bigger than the average week, I'm going to post about it.

Sunday found me and Batsheva in Tiberius signing for our new piece of land in Yonatan where we're going to build our new house. This in itself - buying land in the Land, planning a new home, paying lots of money - is big. But as I sat there at the exact same desk, in the exact same room, in the exact same lawyer's office that Leah and I signed for our first house in Yonatan just about ten years ago, I was struck again by how life, in all its full force, can keep moving you forward in a positive, constructive direction if you flow with it. The moment wasn't even bittersweet - it was completely late summer, juicy peach sweet. But somehow the flashbacks opened up a temporal looking glass and I could see in my minds eye the past, present and even some glimpses into the future, and I liked what I saw.

The lawyers office is right next to the Rambam's grave. Just like 10 years ago, we couldn't undertake such a massive endeavor without deep prayers, so we paid a visit to R' Moshe ben Maimon. Sitting at his kever brought me a deep sense of calm and harmony. The Rambam's logic and firm belief in Hashem and His world was just what I needed. Sitting at his grave reciting his 13 Principles of Faith, simple statements of not necessarily the simplest ideas, strengthened my own faith in what we are doing by selling our house and building a brand new one.

Yesterday, in a happy ying-yang balancing out of the week, brought me to the grave of the Rashbi, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. In contrast to the logic of the Rambam, Rashbi, the accredited author of the Zohar, is associated with the flame of passion and exuberance. Davening by his kever for each of our family members, saying Tehilim, learning Torah, meditating, and witnessing the wonder of the People of Israel puts everything in perspective. I always leave the Rashbi like a freshly forged sword, still glowing but hard as steel and ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Next stop was picking up Yonah's tefilin from my buddy and Sofer who leaves next to Meron. That's another story.

Shabbat Shalom Everyone!